„Europe must become stronger, more vocal, more capable and better prepared“, said Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in his message on Europe’s Day.
“Europe Day finds us this year in a completely redefined context. After the major provocation of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently living the reality of the war on the borders of the European Union, which generated the largest humanitarian crisis in Europe since the Second World War. We live in unprecedented times in the existence of the Union, when our very capacity to defend our fundamental values is tested, centered around the concept on which the European construction was built: peace.
Peacekeeping has been a constant in Europe for decades, a guarantee of stability that has allowed us to achieve an unprecedented level of prosperity at Union level. In 2022, we mark 15 years since the historic moment of Romania’s accession to the European Union, an option assumed and supported by society as a whole. The benefits of this election are palpable today for the long-term progress of our nation, as the status of an EU Member State provides an irreversible path to democratic progress, economic and social development, solidarity and active commitment to the construction of the European project,” the head of state said.
Klaus Iohannis denounced the war started by Russia.
“Unfortunately, the shock wave of the unprovoked and illegal war unleashed by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, in the immediate vicinity of Romania, puts us in front of a reality radically different from the one in which we have acted so far. Today, consistent with the spirit and model of the European democratic model, we are obliged to prove the same visionary conscience that the founding personalities of the Union had. Robert Schuman’s words now sound more vivid than ever: <World peace cannot be secured without creative efforts commensurate with the dangers that threaten it.>”
In his view, “the Russian Federation’s threat to Euro-Atlantic security may remain a reality for years to come”.
“Europe needs to become stronger, more vocal, more capable and thus better prepared, by strengthening transatlantic cooperation, developing interoperability capabilities and mobilizing efforts in full complementarity with NATO. The Union must provide sustained support for strengthening the resilience of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, which are facing dramatic challenges to their security and stability. Supporting and supporting partners in the Western Balkans also remains a priority,” Iohannis pointed out.
The Romanian president also considers that we need to invest more attention and adequate resources to strengthen the capacity to deal with the complex challenges of the present and the future, which go beyond the conventional military sphere and extend to cyberspace and hybrid threats. “At the same time, preparing for a secure future involves significant investments in education and the development of digital skills, but also the mobilization of joint efforts at the national level to have a healthy environment. The challenge of ensuring food security will require effective action to reduce dependency in the European Union, but also to support Ukraine and the most vulnerable countries.”
Furthermore, the Romanian president noted that the current crisis has also highlighted the need to strengthen the European Union’s energy security. “The use of Black Sea resources, investments in new technologies in the field of nuclear energy and renewable energy production, as well as efforts to strengthen energy connectivity will allow Romania to actively contribute to European efforts in the field, assuming a role of regional energy security pole.”